TREATMENT

Combined HIV treatment and hepatitis C treatment

Treatment Summary

If you have both HIV and hepatitis C, both infections are usually treated. HIV is treated with antiretroviral therapy, often called ART, and hepatitis C is treated with direct-acting antiviral medicines, known as DAAs. These treatments can usually be taken at the same time, but your HIV and liver team will carefully check for drug interactions before starting.

Treatment Goal

The goal of hepatitis C treatment is to achieve what doctors call SVR12, which means the virus is still undetectable 12 weeks after treatment ends. This is considered a cure for hepatitis C. HIV is not cured by this treatment, but it can continue to be effectively managed with ART. You may also need follow-up liver checks, especially if you have liver scarring or fibrosis.

Approach

The usual approach is to treat both HIV and hepatitis C rather than leaving one untreated. HIV treatment keeps the virus under control and protects your immune system, while hepatitis C treatment aims to fully clear the hepatitis C virus from your body. In many cases, treatment happens concurrently, but specialist review is important because some HIV medicines and hepatitis C medicines can affect each other.

Availability In Ireland

In Ireland, treatment for HIV and hepatitis C co-infection is usually managed through specialist infectious diseases services, HIV clinics or hepatology services in hospital. You may be referred by your GP, HIV clinic doctor or sexual health service. Direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C are reimbursed under HSE drug schemes, so eligible patients do not usually pay the full cost. Because treatment needs careful review for drug interactions and liver health, it is usually started and monitored by a specialist team. Access is available in Ireland, although waiting times can vary depending on local hospital services.